Magneto and the others exchanged glances before preparing to leave.
Karl had appeared.
But the blue mutant had vanished.
That alone explained everything.
Apocalypse had clearly been dealt with.
Without further delay, the X-Men boarded their fighter jet and returned to the Xavier Institute.
After returning to the manor, Karl retrieved the treasure map of the Self Stone that he had obtained earlier.
When he injected the energy of the six Infinity Stones into the map, the hidden location finally revealed itself.
The coordinates seemed to point somewhere within the Nine Realms.
However, Karl still could not determine the exact location.
Because of that, he decided that in a few days he would travel to Asgard to investigate further.
Meanwhile, events across the world were beginning to spiral out of control.
A large number of tycoons and wealthy elites had secretly begun forming alliances.
Their goal was simple.
They wanted to force Karl to resurrect people for them.
To achieve this, they began manipulating public opinion and even leveraging the economic systems of multiple countries.
Many high-ranking officials were bribed.
Even members of the United States Congress had begun to waver.
After all—
The temptation of resurrection was irresistible.
At the same time, HYDRA also began secretly assisting them.
Through its infiltration of governments across the world, HYDRA mobilized its hidden officials to cooperate with the tycoons.
The elites involved had already been completely blinded by greed.
Some of them were even fantasizing about controlling the world through a regime that manipulated Karl.
Various secret organizations began preparing operations.
Their target was not Karl himself—
But the people around him.
They planned to capture individuals such as George Stacy, Helen Zhao, and others close to Karl.
The reason was simple.
Karl valued those around him greatly.
If they controlled Karl's loved ones—
They believed they could control Karl.
Previously, no one dared attempt such a plan.
Karl's power was simply too terrifying.
Many feared that provoking him could result in the destruction of Earth itself.
But now—
The elites believed they understood Karl better.
They believed Karl would never destroy the planet.
And once the possibility of resurrection entered the equation—
Their rationality collapsed.
After all, human greed followed a predictable pattern.
If profit reached 20%, people would begin considering the risk.
At 50%, many would act.
At 100%, people would act recklessly.
At 300%, people would abandon morality.
At 500%, people would disregard everything.
Meanwhile, within China, several high-ranking officials also began voicing opposition toward Karl.
However, an elderly leader suppressed those voices immediately.
He could only sigh.
These people had been blinded by the massive profits in front of them.
Did they truly not understand how terrifying Karl was?
Karl had already demonstrated the ability to destroy Mars, fight in outer space, and stand alone against overwhelming threats.
If he could protect the world—
Then he could just as easily destroy it.
Thinking about the diplomatic invitations he had received from several Western countries, the old man could not help but sneer.
It seemed the global order was about to change.
The next day, massive waves of public opinion began spreading across the internet.
Various posts criticizing Karl appeared everywhere.
At the same time, citizens in New York began organizing large-scale demonstrations.
People marched through the streets demanding that Karl resurrect their deceased relatives.
The scale of public pressure was unprecedented.
Several major websites even crashed due to the overwhelming traffic.
Karl himself, however, remained unaware of these developments.
Yet he suddenly felt an unusual sense of unease.
Karl had been relaxing in the garden of the manor, enjoying the sunlight.
But suddenly—
His expression turned serious.
With his level of power, he would not feel unease without reason.
In an instant, his Gold Cloth materialized around his body.
Karl immediately activated the Time Stone.
Although the flow of time had become extremely chaotic, Karl could still occasionally glimpse fragments of possible futures.
This was a technique he had learned after obtaining the Time Stone from the Ancient One.
But this time—
He saw nothing.
"Could it be because the timeline has diverged too far from the original path?"
Karl muttered to himself quietly while sitting in the garden.
Green energy from the Time Stone shimmered around him.
After a moment, he sighed and dismissed the armor.
Just then—
His phone rang.
Ding—ding—ding.
Karl glanced at the caller ID.
It was Charles Xavier.
Karl answered the call.
"Charles? What's wrong?"
Charles rarely contacted him directly.
"It's like this, Mr. Karl," Charles said calmly.
"Last night, while using my telepathy to locate mutants around the world, I overheard certain conversations."
"Major tycoons, corporate groups, and several governments have begun forming an alliance."
"They are planning to target the people around you."
"Their goal is to control you through them."
"The reason is obvious."
"Your ability to resurrect the dead."
Charles paused slightly.
"High-ranking officials from many countries are already involved."
"I see."
Karl's eyes narrowed.
"You'll receive your reward after this is over."
With that, Karl ended the call.
At that moment, Karl was already burning with anger.
He had not expected that there were still people in this world foolish enough to seek death.
If they truly wished to die—
Karl would gladly grant them that wish.
Suddenly, countless Shadow Ninjas appeared around the manor.
Moments later, they vanished into the shadows.
At the same time, thousands of Shadow Ninjas manifested within the shadows of May, Raven, Gwen, Helen Zhao, and others close to Karl.
This included George Stacy and Helen Zhao.
Their purpose was simple.
Protection.
If danger appeared, they would immediately drag the targets into the Shadow World, regardless of their personal objections.
Karl also used the Mind Stone and Soul Stone to leave psychic imprints on them.
If anything happened—
Karl would know instantly.
Then Karl used his mental power to summon three people.
Black Phoenix.
Ganata.
Great Wanda.
"I've received information that someone will soon make a move against us," Karl said calmly.
"You three must remain vigilant."
"If anyone attacks—kill them immediately."
"And protect the manor."
"Who?!"
"I'll kill them!!"
The Phoenix Force instantly erupted from Black Phoenix's body.
Her eyes turned a deep crimson-black.
She was already entering a state of rage.
"There's no need," Karl said gently.
He stroked her hair calmly.
"I'll deal with them myself."
"You only need to protect the manor—and May and the others."
"If the enemy uses weapons of mass destruction…"
Karl's voice remained calm.
"You may destroy the entire city of New York if necessary."
Great Wanda and Ganata both nodded.
Great Wanda had already integrated into this strange but warm family.
After experiencing the care and companionship she had never known in her own universe—
She would never allow anyone to destroy it.
Ganata's eyes glowed faintly with purple cosmic light.
Karl then picked up his phone again.
He called Tony Stark.
"Tony."
"Several countries are preparing to move against me and the people around me."
"I'm about to go on a killing spree."
"You'd better prepare to help rebuild America."
"If you have the courage—"
"You're welcome to try and stop me."
Karl hung up immediately.
BOOM—!
His golden armor appeared once again.
A massive pillar of golden light erupted into the sky above the manor.
Karl soared upward and disappeared into the heavens.
He was not someone who would wait passively for death.
Now that he knew what was coming—
He would strike first.
...
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